That Sinking Feeling
by trekbones
Summary: Tony and Kate are in a fight for their lives and Gibbs is nowhere to be found


Title: That Sinking Feeling  
  
Author: Trekbones  
  
Rating: PG-13/15 in UK ratings  
  
Warnings: Attempted sexual assault, angst  
  
Spoilers: None really  
  
Pairings: No Romance, just Friendship between Kate and Tony  
  
Disclaimer: I have now nor have I ever owned NCIS. CBS and its creators do. But should the show ever go on sale, I'll get as many fans together to help buy it. Then we could share the characters. But I get Mark Harmon/Gibbs first.  
  
Author's Note: Inspired by the Unbound Challenge responses in the CSI section of this site. You are given the first and last sentences and have to write a story and it must be limited to a thousand words. I hope I have that correct. Well, I borrowed the current lines, tweaked them, and didn't care about word count. This is what I came up with. I promise to work on my other stories but this one struck me last night and so had to write.  
  
Sitting tied up in a car sinking into the Atlantic wasn't quite how Tony had envisioned himself dying. And Caitlin Todd also tied up and unconscious next to him was an unfair fate for her too. He wasn't sure if Gibbs had received his last phone call and only hoped Gibbs would find both of them in time.  
  
It had been a nasty, sick, and twisted case they had been working on. Four female Naval and Marine officers had been raped and then drowned in their cars. What had been even worse was the letters left with each victim that had been addressed to Kate. The content had been sick and threatening towards her, including threats of rape. Gibbs had immediately placed himself and Tony on protective detail for Kate. She hadn't been thrilled, had even fought it but in the end relented. For the last two weeks, Tony would go with Kate if it involved a case and Gibbs would take her home, stay with her, and then take her to work in the morning. They had gotten close to their suspect until two nights ago when their suspect, a Marine colonel and trained assassin, had given them the slip. Three hours ago their suspect had found them.  
  
The colonel had knocked them both out with a blow to the head. Tony had come around first, tied to a chair and a pounding headache. Kate was unconscious on the floor in front of him. They were in a windowless room with just a bare bulb for light. Several moments later the Marine colonel came in and walked over to Kate. He reached down, grabbed Kate by her hair, and yanked her hard up to face him eye to eye. Kate immediately awoke to pain. Fear and terror passed through her.  
  
Tony tried to yell at the bastard, to turn his attention away from Kate but he was gagged. Tony had a sinking feeling he knew what was going to happen next. The colonel roughly kissed Kate on the mouth and then withdrew a syringe from his pocket. He swiftly injected Kate with the contents, a paralyzing agent that would allow here to see and feel everything but be unable to react or even talk. It quickly took effect. The colonel then stripped Kate down to just her underwear. He didn't say anything and wasn't going to. He proceeded to rip off Kate's bra and underwear and was about to rape her when the colonel's partner barged in and fired two shots into his head. Neither Kate nor Tony was safe. They had just been thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire.  
  
The colonel's partner dragged Kate and Tony, after knocking them out again, from the room, apparently in the colonel's house, and placed them in her car. She then drove them to a private ocean beach, got out of the car, stuck a heavy rock on the gas pedal, and let the car drive itself into the ocean.  
  
Which brought Tony back to his current predicament. The water had almost completely covered the car and Tony was unable to see the stars he had been wishing and praying to anymore. He didn't want to die and Kate didn't deserve to die. He hoped Gibbs would get there soon. But he had failed Kate and that was worse than death.  
  
The car was completely covered with water now. And now water was quickly seeping into the car. They were going to drown and it was going to be a horrible way to die. Tony prayed one last prayer, telling God to take him if only God would let Kate live. Tony had given up on God years ago when he was a child and God hadn't been strong enough to save him from his father and those unspeakable nights he still didn't want to remember. But maybe, just maybe God would be there for Kate and that was alright with Tony.  
  
God, how many times he had screwed up his life, the mistakes, the failures. Boy was he getting maudlin. He should have done something to help Kate, to save them but he had failed her. Failed in protecting here from almost being raped and failed in protecting her from dying. God, take me now, he silently prayed.  
  
Just then a diver knocked on the window. It startled Tony. The diver pointed to the window and indicated that he was going to break it. The diver then did so and water rushed into the interior of the car. Another diver appeared and grabbed Kate while the first diver helped him. They swam slowly to thee surface though Tony's lungs burned for air. The diver gave him his breathing mask, as if reading his mind. They broke thee surface and swam silently and slowly to shore.  
  
Gibbs stood poised, ready to attack or to help, on the beach. When he saw the divers, he quickly rushed into the water to help.  
  
Tony was glad to be on dry land. He coughed up a little bit of water that he had accidentally swallowed and would otherwise be fine. He thanked God for letting Kate live though she wasn't out of the woods yet. Gibbs was performing CPR on her and then laid her on her side so she could expel the water she had accidentally swallowed. She coughed it all up and leaned wearily against Gibbs. Tony looked at Kate and saw the one sure indicator that he knew she would be alright – her smile, her beautiful, beautiful smile. 


End file.
